Barrera optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas

The Oakland Athletics optioned outfielder Luis Barrera, mired in a recent hitting slump, to Triple-A Las Vegas on Monday. The A’s, who were off Monday, did not announce who will be added to fill the open roster spot.

Barrera joined the A’s on May 9 and enjoyed a fast start at the plate. He went 14-for-42 (.333) in his first 16 games and hit a walk-off home run May 14 against the Angels in his fifth game after being called up.

In 16 games since then, Barrera was 4-for-35 (.114) with one extra-base hit. Two of those hits came Sunday during the A’s 4-0 win over the Royals.

The A’s don’t need to replace Barrera with an outfielder, given options on their roster. Outfielder Stephen Piscotty appears to be nearing a return from a calf injury but is slated to start a rehab assignment at Triple-A on Tuesday. Outfielder Skye Bolt (hamstring) is on a rehab assignment with Las Vegas and is 5-for-13 in three games; activating Bolt from the 60-day IL, though, also would require the A’s to clear a spot on their 40-man roster, which was full as of Monday.

Oakland would not be able to add a pitcher to take Barrera’s former spot. On Monday, MLB put in place a 13-pitcher limit, after twice delaying implementation of the rule this season. The A’s host the Mariners

for a three-game series starting Tuesday, and reached Monday with 13 active pitchers.

If the A’s are looking to bolster their offense, infielder Sheldon Neuse could be a candidate to be recalled. Since he was optioned to Triple-A on June 7, Neuse received Pacific Coast League weekly honors after going 14-for-29 in a sixgame series against El Paso that ended Sunday. Neuse hit .228 in 49 games for the A’s before they sent him to the minors.